Jim Miller has shared one key secret behind his incredible long-term MMA career.
Miller, 41, is among the UFC’s longest serving competitors, having made his debut for Dana White’s promotion 16 years ago in October 2008.
He is the only fighter to have appeared at UFC 100, UFC 200 and most recently UFC 300, which took place in April this year.
‘A-10’ holds the record for the most fights and wins in UFC history with 26 victories in 44 total bouts.
“I get asked that question by other fighters at fights and by the young guys coming up,” Miller told SiriusXM in November when asked how he keeps going.
“It’s hard to give a quick answer and I would be incorrect if I didn’t say that luck and genetics have helped me, because I’ve definitely gotten lucky a lot of times.
“I’m about to hop into the gym after we’re done here. I’ve been lucky in the gym countless times where I’ve been super close to probably being injured and having an injury that might shorten my career.
“And just come out of it on the good side. I feel like I was kind of born to do this stuff, but there’s quite a few different things that I think have really helped my longevity. And one of them is downsize.”
Miller has fought some of the biggest stars in MMA history, including Nate Diaz, Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier and Donald Cerrone.
One of the most remarkable things about his longevity is the Lyme disease he suffered from in the buildup to his 2016 UFC 200 bout, which he won after stopping Japan’s Takanori Gomi in the first round.
Miller wasn’t as successful during his last octagon appearance at UFC 300, but still managed to go the distance with fellow MMA veteran Bobby Green, who lost to Paddy Pimblett in his next bout.
“You know, I went from one of the bigger gyms in New Jersey, right?” Miller added, revealing how downsizing the MMA gym he trained at was key to his success.
“We had a half a dozen UFC fighters at one point when I was training at the other place and we were also dealing with the big gym problems.
“Sometimes it’s like: ‘Hey, I’m training for a fight,’ while there are other guys coming in training for fights, or guys trying to make their mark and step up to that next level.
“And sometimes fighters don’t abide by the rules. There’s kind of some of those unwritten rules in training. And one of my big ones is, if it doesn’t have a pad on it, you shouldn’t be throwing it.
“In training. Like, yeah, we can throw elbows in a fight. But if you’re not wearing elbow pads, you better not be throwing elbows.
“And if you’re not wearing the knee pads, which are $35, you shouldn’t be throwing knees.
“I’m [also] not a big fan of, you know, the full sparring, throwing a lot of the spinning stuff. Because in heels and forearms, I’ve seen plenty of busted noses from spinning backfists that hit on the forearm.
“So like, I downsized my training group. It cost me some really good training partners. But I feel like it helped me train better, train smarter, train safer for the last decade.”
Miller’s opponent at UFC 309 is 36-year-old Damon Jackson, who made his debut for White’s promotion in August 2014 and has won six of his total 13 bouts.
Jackson previously fought current UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, but was knocked out after two-and-a-half minutes in the first round during their December 2020 bout.
Jon Jones faces Stipe Miocic in UFC 309’s main event, while Oliveira takes on the returning Michael Chandler in a five-round co-main event.
UK fans can watch Miller vs Jackson in the prelims from 1 am GMT this Sunday and the main event from 3 am live on TNT Sports Box Office.
